I Know I Can Figure It Out
by Mrs. HopeEstheim
Summary: In which Korra freaks out and the fabulous bending brothers get there in the nick of time...among other things. Makorra. Inspired by "Rubik's Cube" by Athlete. T for immediate swearing...


**Whelp, I've done it again. Another fairly long story inspired by a song...although my others were for Fairy Tail, not Legend of Korra.**

**So I guess this would technically be the first one for those of you that don't read/watch Fairy Tail, huh?**

**Anyway...The song is "Rubik's Cube" by the band Athlete, kind of inspired by a video on youtube by the user sightbender. It's just one minute and twenty-eight seconds long, but it made me want to hear the song and then after that, and after watching episode six, I wanted to write a fanfiction for it. So here's to sightbender for unintentionally inspiring me! **

**EDIT: this was originally a songfic, but after realizing that using the lyrics may be violating fanfiction's terms of service, I took out the lyrics. So…****_Please go listen to the song while reading! _****Thanks! All the page breaks are where the lyrics once were!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: no matter how much I wish I could...I do not and likely never ****_will_**** own Legend of Korra or "Rubik's Cube". I'm just playing with the characters…**

* * *

"Dammit," Korra cursed, rolling her shoulder as she hid from the Equalists that had ambushed her. Normally she would have charged in with little concern for whether she would win or not, but she wasn't stupid. This time she _knew_ there were too many for her to handle. Two, three, sometimes maybe up to five, she could handle…but when there were more than a dozen chi-blockers ready to take her out and it was raining so hard that there were little streams running down both sides of the street, the best idea was to run. And Korra absolutely _hated_ it. She wanted to step forward, to fight for the people of Republic City—the people of the _world_—but she couldn't. Tenzin had preached to her a hundred times that she shouldn't be so reckless because the world needed her now. If she was lost to Amon, he told her, it would all be over. And Korra had already known that…but it hurt for her to stand idly by and watch as the Equalists made a mess of the city that Zuko and her Avatar predecessor Aang had built together.

Learning airbending, embracing her spirituality, keeping the peace, fighting the Equalists, and even dealing with her teenage hormones…it was all just too much. It was like trying to fight a war single-handedly. And then Korra realized…isn't that what she was doing?

The memory of Amon looming dangerously over her flashed over her eyes and a strangled cry escaped her lips before she could remember her situation.

"_Here_!"

One of the chi-blocker's weapons flashed into sight as Korra threw herself into a reverse tumble. She landed in a crouch, back in the thick of things. Chi-blocker devices flashed all around her, turning the rain-soaked night into a lightshow and effectively making her heart beat a frantic rhythm in her chest. After all her training, all those years in the White Lotus compound under their careful guard…was all of it going to end because she was_afraid_ of Amon? Because she couldn't help but panic whenever the memory of the night she challenged him came back?

She was frozen, suffocating under the expectations, the pressure, and the menacing men and women that advanced upon her.

Korra let out a frightened shriek, throwing herself forward and covering her head with her hands, her entire body trembling from the fear and the mental exhaustion.

"No!" she whimpered. It was too much…too much…!

* * *

"Korra!" someone cried out. The shout echoed off of the silent glass, metal, and wooden sentinels lining the street even as her scream's remnants faded from the air. The voice was recognizable, but she couldn't quite place it. Her mind was too far gone, buckling under the pressure. She had hid it, let everything build up and build up until there was no more room for building up, and the tight little bubble that she'd kept all her fears and all her exhaustion locked up inside had ruptured. Everything burst forth from where she'd hidden it and she had cracked under the strain. It was temporary at best, but for the moment it was crippling.

"_You shouldn't bottle things up,"_ she remembered Jinora telling her wisely, her nose in a book.

_Smart girl_, Korra was able to think even in the midst of her breakdown. _I should have listened to her._

A growl brought Korra back just a little more as the ground trembled right beside her. An extremely large dog-like paw was right beside her, water entering the small cracks that ran in the paving stones around it. Simultaneously, a pair of booted feet had landed in front of her and she cringed for an instant before the boots moved and fire burst into the air, roaring at the chi-blockers. Another pair of booted feet landed on the side that didn't have paws and one foot stomped, sending six paving stones into the air at more of the chi-blockers. Another growl, sounding much more ferocious, was accompanied by a terrified feminine shriek.

Naga…Bolin…and _Mako_. How had they even found her? It didn't really matter how—what mattered was that they _had_—and now she could breathe again. Her heart still rattled of its rapid beat, but she was able to look up. Three of the chi-blockers had turned tail in the face of the fabulous bending brothers and a giant polar bear dog.

Korra forced herself slowly to her feet, unnoticed by her belligerent protectors.

* * *

Everything was still swirling in her mind, all her fears and doubts and the thought that she could never live up to Avatar Aang—but she was standing again. Korra was on her feet, able to take the weight now because it was shared with her three best friends ever—four, if she counted the little red ferret clinging to Naga's ears.

The Avatar's blue eyes narrowed dangerously and without warning, the rainwater running down the side of the streets toward the evenly spaced drains was at her command. The firebending Mako was caught by surprise when a jet of water passed only inches from his right ear and blasted the chi-blocker that was about to land a strike on him. When he turned to look, the formerly cowering brunette was in the midst of spinning; she was giving the blast of water she shot at Bolin's opponent enough momentum to knock the female chi-blocker into and through the wooden storefront behind her. With a defiant cry, she flung more water in an arc towards the three men trying to attack the vicious Naga, sending them tumbling just as Bolin turned around to see her.

For a few moments, Mako and Bolin were both frozen with shock and then worry—was she in the fabled Avatar State? But she turned to them then, hair dripping with the water that still cascaded down, a fierce look in her blue eyes. The brothers were relieved to see her _normal_ blue eyes, not eyes that shined a blindingly bright blue. Korra was Korra…just a bit peeved.

That relief was shaken momentarily when she lunged forward, in between the two of them, and used jets of water to shove both of them back by at least seven or eight feet each.

"Korra, what—" Mako began, but when he spun around to see her he knew why.

Rain combined with the electric chi-blocking weaponry made for a nasty shocking potential, and Korra had saved them from it. She hadn't had time to avoid the attack herself, so her earsplitting scream rent the night air again. Her vision grew blurry, her limbs heavy, but Korra loathed to give up now. Even with the chi-blockers still at work, she struggled to get at them through the pain and the electricity.

The ice-blue of the chi-blocker's electric attack lit up the area and reflected off of the rain-soaked streets and buildings like some sort of terribly beautiful lightshow. The only problem with this lightshow was that there was a person in the middle.

The rainwater of the puddle at the brunette's feet splashed up around her as her knees hit the ground. It only served as more conduction and soon Korra was down to knees and elbows, another loud, shrill cry escaping her lips. It was only when each of the brothers lowered their shoulders and physically took the chi-blockers to the ground that the torrent of electricity ceased and the Avatar collapsed in a breathless, soaking wet heap. Her breathing was ragged and all she could focus on was the pitter-patter of the steady rainfall.

Water lapped over her hands as she stared at them, her elbows trembling as she tried to push herself up. The ground shook and she saw the bright orange and yellow reflections of fire against the glittering, rippling film of water on the pavement. With an effort, Korra looked up at the brothers to find that Bolin had just tossed a huge chunk of street at two fleeing Equalists and Mako was quickly making three more lose their nerve. A growl behind her made her turn to see Naga, hackles raised, as the polar bear dog faced the last of the chi-blockers that had ambushed Korra. Her chest stung for no apparent reason, but Korra forced herself to her feet one more time. Breathing deeply even though it was kind of painful, she whistled at Naga to get out of the way and when the white beast leapt back she was replaced by a six foot high wave.

At the end of her waterbending move, Korra let out a cry and collapsed again, clutching her side with a wince. There was an electric burn there, and in several other places, and the pain made her want to black out.

"Let's get out of here!" a voice shouted after another tremor in the ground. Korra looked up to see the last of the chi-blockers turning tail and another big chunk of street landing not even a foot behind the last one. A little smile flitted across her features for an instant before an innocent nudge on Naga's behalf brought her back into the real world with a shooting pain. Korra didn't mean to, but a hiss of pain escaped through her teeth and Naga whimpered as Pabu leaned over her head, sniffing at Korra's wet hair.

"Korra!" Bolin's voice cried, and he was by her in a minute. "Korra, how bad is it?"

"It's…nothing," she told them, but she had the feeling that the brothers knew she was lying through her teeth. Mako reached down and pulled her hand away from her side to spot the worst of the burns and he grimaced. It was where one of the Equalists had actually made contact, rather than relying on the water. At the look he gave her, Korra caved and said, "Okay, so it's a little something."

Mako's fingers were still loosely on her wrist when he spoke.

"Why?"

* * *

_Why_? Korra scoffed inwardly. What kind of question was that?

Maybe they were expecting her to pull the Avatar card. She was the Avatar, so she was bound by her duties to protect all citizens of Republic City and the rest of the world…but that wasn't it. Was she supposed to spout some nonsense about it being her duty as a member of Tarrlok's task force? If that was it, they clearly didn't know her as well as she thought they did because she didn't give a damn about that man or his task force.

No. Her reasons were much simpler and pretty selfish. It was simply that Mako and Bolin were her _friends_. The best of friends—the very best friends she had ever had if she didn't count ones that were covered in fur and able to be ridden like Naga. Did she need more of a reason to protect them? And who did Mako think he was, asking her a question like that? He should have known without having to ask her.

But she gathered her wits and answered anyway.

"You saved me back there," she jerked her thumb in the general direction in which they had found her surrounded by Equalists. They hadn't moved far in their fight, but she gestured even though it caused her arc burns to sting. "You saved me, so I thought I'd return the favor."

The brothers were kneeling on either side of her—the one she'd hurt and the one who had somewhat hurt her…and she'd never felt more relieved to see them. Maybe they didn't know how much they had helped her, but she would always know. And the genuine concern that Korra could see in Mako's eyes just made her feelings for him escalate. The rash Avatar wouldn't act on it this time, though. It didn't matter that Mako and Asami were no longer a couple. What mattered was that Bolin was still healing from the hurt she'd caused him and Korra was waiting for Mako to make a move if he liked her.

"Korra," Bolin jerked her out of her thoughts. "You should heal yourself."

"Oh…you're right," she laughed a little, bending water up to cover her arms and to begin the healing process.

In the meantime, Korra decided that she didn't want to let Mako get away from her this time. It didn't matter how long it took; she'd do her best to get Mako's attention.

* * *

The healing took longer than Bolin's shoulder had, or any of their little injuries in practice, but that was because Korra always found it harder to heal herself. The entire time she was taking in their surroundings. The rain was slowing and all of them were soaked, Pabu included.

"You guys should have gone home," the brunette said as she finished the last burn. "You'll catch cold."

As Korra flexed her arms, the newly healed skin stretching without pain, she heard a derisive snort from Mako and a short, disbelieving laugh from Bolin. Pabu chittered confusedly and Naga blew through her nose, seeming very much like Mako or even a disapproving Tenzin.

"Seriously, Korra?" Bolin shook his head, plopping his butt down in the wet street rather than continuing to kneel. He propped himself up with his arms and threw his head back, letting the light rainfall wash any remaining grit and sweat from his face. "You just said we saved you, and now you're worried about us getting colds?"

"You were out longer than we were, anyway," Mako sat down, too, crossing his arms and gazing up the empty street. "Shouldn't you worry about yourself first, Avatar?"

"I don't catch cold easily," Korra smirked, "Hello, girl from South Pole here?"

"That doesn't mean that this isn't an exception," Mako rolled his eyes at her childishness. At least he knew she would be okay when she was acting like this, though. It was much different from the frightened deer-in-the-headlights look he'd gotten from her when they'd first arrived to help her out.

"If I get a cold, I get a cold," Korra shrugged. "Tenzin and Pema and the kids will be more than enough to take care of me. But if _you_ get colds, who's going to work to pay your rent and cook for you and help you out? It would probably be _me_, and since I have airbending training, _I'll_ be the one who's most inconvenienced by it."

Bolin laughed—a real laugh this time, because he could tell that Korra was teasing them. It was just like her to discourage them from helping her out. Mako sighed and shook his head, but the Avatar knew she caught a glimpse of a slight grin on his face. Pabu chittered again, now sitting on Bolin's knee, and Naga nudged Korra's shoulder much more gently than usual. She was probably afraid that Korra was still hurt.

"Let's just _all_ get out of the rain for now," Korra suggested after a brief silence in which they all chuckled, exchanged grins, and then just sat in the rain for a while. "So that we _won't_ get colds if we don't have them already. Is that all right with you, City Boy?"

The earthbending brother snorted at the nickname and Mako sighed once more, but he shrugged and pushed himself to his feet.

"That's better than sitting in the rain and waiting for it to get worse," he said, and Bolin hopped up after his brother. Korra was pleasantly surprised when two hands descended into her vision as she began to get up herself. Mako and Bolin were each offering her a hand and, with a grin, she slid her own into theirs and let them haul her to her feet. She proceeded to vault onto Naga's back and offered her hand to the brothers in return. The green-eyed earthbender pushed his brother forward first and then used Mako's hand to pull himself up. Pabu jumped from Bolin's shoulder to Mako's and then to Korra's where he gently nudged her ear and made her giggle before retaking his spot on Naga's head.

"Let's go, girl!" the brunette whispered to her polar bear dog and Naga leapt into a full-out sprint so quickly that one of Mako's arms seized her around the waist and Bolin scrambled to hug his brother from behind, as well.

Korra didn't even know what part of town she was in, but it reminded her of the journey to save Bolin all that time ago and it comforted her that she was lost with the brothers for company.

* * *

The rain began to come down heavier once more, almost when they had made it to shelter, and the brunette couldn't help but laugh. It was just their luck.

Naga ducked into a small, hidden cave that they had discovered in the park a few weeks earlier and the three benders plus one fire ferret climbed off before she shook her fur to rid the extra weight of water. Bolin let out a surprised cry as the excess water just ran off of his saturated clothes and his brother flinched briefly before letting a grin cross his lips. Korra, on the other hand, started to laugh. There was little reason for it, but she needed it. It was much more helpful than she had expected it to be, and once she had started laughing she couldn't stop. The five of them—Korra, Bolin, Mako, Pabu, and Naga—were all soaking wet and it was still raining outside and all she could do was laugh.

She didn't know; was it relief or still fear or just her losing her nerve? But she wasn't the only one. Bolin snorted and then started laughing and even though he tried to hide it, Mako's grin spread across his face and he started to chuckle. Pabu cocked his head confusedly at their antics, but the three benders couldn't have cared less.

It wasn't until Bolin's laugh was punctuated with a sneeze that Korra could regain control of herself; Mako had stopped laughing a few minutes earlier.

"Here! Let me bend the water out of our clothes," the blue-eyed brunette said quickly, leaning forward and moving her hands in small, fluid motions to draw the water from the earthbender's clothes out. She flung the water outside into the downpour and moved on to Mako and then to the two creatures that were their companions. The brothers murmured a small thank you each and she just waved her hand—_it's nothing_—and continued her work. Bolin had spotted the pile of dry wood in the corner that Korra had personally placed there earlier that very week and began to arrange a little fire pit, bending the earth into a small bowl shape in the center of the cave. He also added a ring around the lip of the pit, raised about four inches from the rest of the cave floor. Once he had the sticks assembled, Mako leaned closer and blew fire on it as Korra sat down and finally started to rid her own clothes of the added water.

Korra took her hair down and started combing her fingers through it, staring blankly at the fire. As her fingers drew threw her brown locks, she bent the water out in small streams, sending it straight into the twilit night.

"Are you okay, Korra…?" Bolin's voice broke the comfortable silence that only their fire had previously dared to break. The Avatar blinked, jerked from her mindless stare, and looked up to smile at her concerned friends across the fire.

"I'm fine, Bo. I'm just a little shaken up, is all."

His startlingly green eyes examined her for a few moments longer, but then he nodded. Korra felt Mako's gaze on her and she turned to flash him a grin, too—_I'm okay, Mako, so you don't have to worry_—and finally he seemed to relax. He held his hand out to the fire, stealing a tiny flame and bouncing it across his knuckles. Bolin's eyes followed the little flame, as if he was used to his brother doing this little trick but it never got old, and Korra let herself take in the friends she was surrounded by. What she'd done to deserve them, she'd never know. What she did know was that they were _her_ friends, not the friends of the Avatar. True friends.

* * *

Bolin's snores echoed softly in the cave, but the sound was mostly drowned out by the still falling rain. Mako was sleeping peacefully, slumped back against the cave wall with his head drooping to one side just slightly. Korra watched them with a small grin on her lips, leaning back against the comfortable, snoozing Naga. Pabu was curled up and asleep between the polar bear dog's front paws.

The fire flickered weakly and Korra tossed another stick into it gently to keep it going so her bending teammates could stay warm. Bolin curled tighter into a ball, hands serving as his pillow, and rolled over to put his back to the flames. He was still asleep the whole time. Mako didn't even move when the light flared up momentarily, or when a crack of thunder sounded in the area. Korra flinched and looked out. The city lights were aglow, but there were no stars tonight.

So…thinking it was.

Her eyes trailed back to Mako. She couldn't help but think about how sweet he looked when he was asleep. All his stress was washed from his features, leaving them relaxed. She rarely saw him this way and so she enjoyed it when she did.

Seeing him this way also added fuel to her determination—she didn't care if it took a few years for him to see her the way she saw him. If her feelings ended up fading, then she would know that it was just a stupid little crush…but if they continued to grow as they were now, she would know that it was the real deal. And until Korra found out whether the two of them could be together or not, she wouldn't just let Asami score all the points with Mako. Asami was a nice girl whose father was a troubled man…but she wasn't right for Mako.

In his sleep, the firebender scrunched his nose up a little before relaxing once more.

* * *

The rain had ended when Mako woke up, but Korra and Bo and the two creatures were still sleeping, so he restarted their smoldering little fire and stepped outside for a moment to stretch his aching muscles. And even though he was sore and beaten and bruised, Mako wouldn't have changed his decision to help Korra for anything in the world. Just seeing her in there, snuggled up against Naga's side like an innocent, sleeping child, made him realize just what he was missing by being with Asami.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into the still, damp morning air. A bird to his left twittered at him, as if asking who he was saying sorry to, so he answered, "I'm sorry to both of them—Korra and Asami. I've hurt one of them and just led the other on because I didn't know what I really wanted."

The bird cocked its head in confusion and Mako laughed lightly to himself, shaking his head. He didn't know why he'd talked to the bird, but now that he'd actually said those few words out loud, he felt better. It always felt better to get something that was being a bother off of his chest. And to be honest, he really was confused about his own actions. He liked Asami well enough, but there was one thing she couldn't be.

Asami couldn't be Korra.

The firebender sighed, looking out to see the sun rising over the tops of some of Republic City's buildings.

"I'll have to figure myself out soon," he muttered, shaking his head a little and turning to walk back into the little cave. At its mouth, he glanced over his shoulder once more as the full brilliance of the sun sparkled off of the wet buildings and leaves and…_everything_. Everything was coated in a sparkling halo of magnificence and over the city spread a rainbow.

The sign of a promise.

* * *

"Wake up, Korra, Bolin," Mako's voice roused the brunette and she rubbed her blue eyes with a yawn, squinting at the form in the mouth of the cave. She could only see his silhouette, but she knew it was Mako by the way he was standing there. "Come on. You guys should come look at this."

Fearing the worst for a second, Korra leapt to her feet and jumped over Bolin in her haste to get out of the cave. A few steps into the light and she stopped, her breath catching in her throat.

Everything was _glittering_. The morning sun cast its light on all of the water that remained from the overnight storms and that light was reflecting off of almost every surface. And above it all, spanning the entire width of the sky that was visible from where she stood, was a rainbow. And then it bubbled back out of her, light and airy—_laughter. _Because laughter is the one thing that helps her cling to reality when everything is changing so quickly, she laughs. Korra then took a few more steps and twirled before breaking into a traditional Water Tribe dance, bending clear water from a puddle next to her with the movements of her hands. She didn't know why she was doing it, and she didn't know the effect that her childish playfulness was having on the firebender she loved…but even if she had, she wouldn't have cared.

There was a sign of promises in the sky—things would get better, just as long as she persisted and did her duties right with her friends and family by her side. And if she persisted, she was sure that Mako would see her, too.

* * *

Of course, being the Avatar over the next few years turned out to be a difficult task, but Korra had been prepared for that. She had been raised and taught by the members of the White Lotus, and so she knew what awaited her as she grew older. She had to defeat the Equalists to restore balance to Republic City, which was a lot harder than it sounded. Amon was clever and knew just how to trick her and play her and had even threatened Tenzin and Pema and the kids as well as the fabulous bending brothers. But in the end, Korra triumphed, mastered airbending, and then had to set off around the world.

Her victory tour was just the first of many tours she'd have to take, but she could handle it. All of her past lives had done it, so she could, too. And it was always a comfort that Jinora traveled with her, both to keep her company and to make sure she didn't do anything too stupid—if Korra ended up getting Tenzin's daughter into trouble because she'd done something foolish, Tenzin would murder her, and if Tenzin murdered her they would have to spend months, possibly years, looking for the new Avatar…and then they would have to spend fifteen or sixteen years training him or her once he or she had been found.

And so Korra traveled when she had to, stopped where she needed to make an impression, and helped quell Equalist rallies whenever a new one popped up.

All in all, just another day in the life of an Avatar.

* * *

But at the end of the day, she was always glad to set foot in the now-familiar streets of Republic City. The citizens, benders and nonbenders alike, welcomed her back with open arms and doted upon her rather embarrassingly, but she took it all with a smile. She blessed children, children were named after her, she even signed autographs…but she was still just Korra when she dove into the waters between the city and Air Temple Island.

The now twenty-six year old Avatar stretched as she got out of the water after one such tour—though without Jinora—and a homecoming. Her shoulders were stiff and aching, but not from the swim. She had used her glider to come home, and the effort of flying for so many hours straight had her sore all over. As the Avatar, though, she made a point of landing in front of the city's gates and waving as she passed through so that the people could have the opportunity to see her safely home again. She had done a lot of growing up in the last ten years, for sure. A rash, impulsive young water tribe girl was now a mature, calm, calculating water tribe woman who couldn't quite be turned into a city girl…but Republic City was home. The proof of that was waiting when she stepped up to the doorway of the dining room where Tenzin and his family sat to eat with their dinner guests.

Korra stood smiling upon her little 'family' for a few moments before the preteen Meelo glanced up and a wide grin spread across his face. He leapt up from his seat even though Tenzin told him to sit down and he was at the doorway in a second, giving the brunette a hug.

"Korra! You're back so soon?" Jinora said from her spot, surprise in her twinkling eyes.

"I couldn't keep myself away much longer," the brunette nudged the young monk off of her to ruffle his eldest sister's hair. "I was just visiting Mom and Dad and leaving some flowers for your Gran-Gran, you know."

"Welcome home, Korra," said a male voice that sounded like honey to her ears. The airbenders were talking amongst themselves, Tenzin scolding Meelo for jumping up so abruptly that he upset his water cup, and so the brunette had time to walk over and take her seat next to the dark-haired man. His strong, callused fingers wrapped around her own as his lips pressed gently to her temple.

"It's good to be home," Korra told her husband with a grin, kissing him on the cheek before turning to greet her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Asami was bouncing Korra's niece, Mei, on her knee and Bolin turned back to cooing at his daughter after he'd greeted Korra.

And as it turned out, Korra and Mako _were_ able to figure it out—their Rubik's Cube.

It was just a simple puzzle with many twists and turns and, although the journey was a rough and bumpy one, it was worth every second it had taken for them to get this far.

* * *

**Soooo...what do you think?**

**To be completely honest with you, it didn't turn out exactly as I had intended when I started it a week ago now...but I don't think it's as bad as it could be. It was kind of fun, and to be honest again, my favorite part was Korra's little breakdown in the beginning. I like to torture characters, as any of my Fairy Tail fans would know XD**

**Anyway, if you read this, thank you very much! It's my second Makorra fic :)**

**RANDOM FUN FACT: I got a new puppy the day after Episode 5 and I named him Bolin. Because he's cuddly and adorable.**


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